During his stay as the CBFC Chief, Pahlaj Nihalani became a household name. Not in a good way though! Known for his bizarre statements, pure and sanskariattitude and the itch to hand out dollops of cuts in movies, Pahlaj rose to be one of the most controversial chiefs of Central Board Of Film Certification.

Now that he’s been sacked as the CBFC Chief and replaced by Prasoon Joshi, the flag-bearer of sanskars in our country has a lot to say on his exit.

In a report by The Quint, Pahlaj feels that his exit is a cause of celebration for many and that he was actually readying for this day.

“I had been preparing myself for my exit for months now. Actually, from the time I came in, there have been elements working against me, some of them from within the CBFC. These elements — I am not going to name them on-record — are currently celebrating premature Diwali. Unnka toh tyohaar mere jaane se ho gaya(they are in a festive mood because of my ouster).”

Not only that, he believes that he is leaving behind a legacy that he hopes his successor (whom he doesn’t wanna name. Huh?!) doesn’t undo.

“Whoever takes over from me is welcome to do. I only hope he doesn’t reverse the work that I started at the CBFC. I feel we have achieved a lot in the past three years. We’ve speedened up the certification process and made it entirely digital. I just hope my successor doesn’t succumb to false notions of liberalism propagated by the pseudo-progressive elements in our film industry and work in a direction opposed to mine.“

But he feels he did the right thing and worked in all sincerity.

“I worked in all sincerity and with utmost honesty. In the process, I offended a lot of the so-called progressive elements. I also got labelled a sanskaari censor chief. I am proud of that label. I hope I am remembered as the CBFC chairperson who took a firm stand against vulgarity and pseudo-liberalism, no matter how unpopular it made me.“

He also adds how he has no regrets and did what he thinks the Government appointed him to do.

“I was brought in as the CBFC chairperson all a sudden. I happily took up the job that the government thought me fit for. Now when the government has asked me to step down, I do so without any regret. It was a big challenge while it lasted. When I came in there was rampant corruption in the CBFC. I got rid of all the middlemen and touts who made money in the censor certification process. They too must be celebrating Diwali in advance this year.”

Wondering what will he do with his time? Nihalani says he has plans to announce a slew of films.

“I am returning to my first love, film production, in a big way. I will soon be announcing a slew of films. It’s been a highly satisfying tenure at the CBFC for me. But it’s also been exhausting and time-consuming. I am happy to make way for someone else.”

So we can expect A LOT of sanskari films and not the ones he made in the past? #JustAsking

Well! Mr Nihalani, like always, leaves us speechless, even while stepping down.